Blockbuster "Odyssey" Sparks Classical Revival... Sales of Related Books Soar 31-fold in a Year

August Sales Up 940.9% from Previous Month, 2,984.8% from Last Year...
Greek Mythology Books Also Up 33.5%

Shift from Children's Mythology to Adult Classics Translations

Six New Titles Break into the Top 10

As director Christopher Nolan's film "Odyssey" has surpassed 10 million viewers domestically, sales of Homer’s original works and books on Greek mythology have surged in bookstores. Until last year, children's books on Greek and Roman mythology dominated the bestseller lists, but now, newly released translations of classical originals, introductory guides, and the film’s screenplay have entered the top ranks in 2026.

The movie "Odyssey" has surpassed 10 million viewers domestically, and related books are also continuing to perform well in bookstores. Universal Pictures

According to Kyobo Book Centre on September 7, in August, when the film "Odyssey" was released, book sales with titles containing "Odyssey", "Odysseia", or "Odysseyia" soared by 940.9% compared to the previous month and by 2,984.8% compared to the same month last year. This is approximately 31 times more than in August of the previous year. In the same period, sales of books related to Greek mythology also rose by 84.3% compared to the previous month and by 33.5% compared to a year earlier.

This sales spike has also shifted the reading demographic. In August of last year, all of the top 10 bestselling titles were children's series on Greek and Roman mythology. However, this year, new translations of the original classics and introductory guides for adult readers—such as HyundaejiSeong’s "Odysseia (Full Ancient Greek Translation)" and Eulyoo Publishing’s "Odysseyia"—have climbed to the top. The film’s popularity has led not just to casual consumption of characters or mythology, but to a newfound interest in reading classics in their original form.

In the last week of August, the bestseller among related books was the "Odysseia (Full Ancient Greek Translation)" by HyundaejiSeong, which reached fifth place overall on Kyobo Book Centre's comprehensive chart. Eulyoo Publishing’s "Odysseyia" ranked third, Soop’s "Odysseyia" ranked fifth, and HyundaejiSeong’s "Iliad·Odysseia Set" came in sixth. Woongjin Knowledge House’s "Odyssey Screenplay," which contains the official film script, ranked seventh, making it the weekly bestseller in the arts category.

The proportion of new releases was also high. Among the top 10 bestsellers in this category, six titles were published just last month. In addition to new translations, various types of books—including introductory guides, children’s editions, and screenplay books—were released to coincide with the film’s debut, meeting diverse demand.

The movie’s impact was also reflected in e-books. Sales in August of Hong Eun-Young’s 12-volume set "Greek Roman Mythology & Guidebook" jumped about 53 times versus the previous year, while the 7-volume set of "Greek Roman Mythology" grew by approximately 97 times. Kyobo Book Centre analyzed that the existing demand for out-of-print paper series shifted to e-books as a result of the film’s release.

This sales boom in bookstores is directly linked to the film’s box office success. "Odyssey" surpassed 10 million cumulative viewers on September 6, the 33rd day since its premiere on August 5. It is the year’s second film to reach the 10-million mark and, in terms of foreign films, only the 10th ever. Among Christopher Nolan’s works, it is his second to achieve this milestone in Korea after "Interstellar." As of September 7, the cumulative audience count stood at approximately 10,027,000.

What stands out most about this success is the renewed interest in classical literature. Homer’s "Odyssey" is an ancient Greek epic that recounts the 10-year adventure of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, returning home after the Trojan War. The film’s popularity has led to a parallel rise in sales of the original work and related mythology titles, a textbook example of the ‘screenseller’ phenomenon.

Kyobo Book Centre has extended its online special event, the "Odyssey Guidebook," until September 30, introducing over 80 related books grouped into five categories like "Odyssey Made Easy," "Reading the Odyssey in the Original," and "Odyssey Through Film." It also offers a "Compare Sentences" feature, which allows readers to contrast the writing styles and translations of different editions.

A Kyobo Book Centre representative said, “After the movie’s release, sales of existing translations of the original have risen sharply, and new translations, children’s editions, introductory guides, and screenplay books are also gaining attention. We hope this interest sparked by the film will lead readers to deeper engagement with the classics and mythology.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.